Whereas Hindu traumatisation is concerned; Katihar is slowly turning into ‘Kashmir Valley’ of Bihar. Criminals who are mostly Muslims are targeting Hindus as a community and it is not being reported.

Sanjeev Kumar, Katihar

The family members of poor Bajjan Das were burnt to death on June 11, 2018. No political leaders turned up on the scene in this unfortunate incident which witnessed the brutal killing of this Julaha (Mahadalit) family who hail from Ghordah village in the Aazamnagar locality of Katihar. 35 years old Bajjan Das and his differently-able pregnant wife Manjula Das were killed. Even their daughters Preeti and Kiran were also not spared. Poor Bajjan used to support his family by working as a tea vendor.

Hindus are suffering in Katihar and their execution by the hands of Muslim criminals is now a daily affair

The tragedy of Bajjan Das and his family is a consequence of having a will and struggle for living with dignity. Pajjan had acquired some credit for a local credit institution called ‘India Financial Inclusion Limited’ and started his tea shop. He had built up a hut on some Government land, which was used as the tea shop in the day and his dwelling in the night. However, this scene of a poor Hindu living a life of dignity was not acceptable to the dominant Muslims of the area.

Muslim Criminals- Hindu Victims

The local goon and ruffian Abdul Rehman and his men were threatening Bajjan Das to vacate the land and run away. Poor Pajjan was well aware of the repercussions but his wife Manjul was standing firmly with him and the family continued living there despite multiple threats. The threats got more intense and finally Abdul and his men declared that if the family doesn’t vacate the land, they would be burnt alive. It was again repeated in the morning of June 11 and finally the family was burnt alive.

Neigbours rushed to help when they heard the cries and sobbing of wailing Bajjan and his family. It was found out that two daughters Preeti and Kiran aged 4 and 2 years respectively had died on the spot. Bajjan and Manjula were rushed to the hospital in Katihar but were again referred to Bhagalpur. Manjula died on the way and Bajjan breathed his last on June 16.

Dead body of Manjula Das who was brunt alive by Abdul Rehman and his goons

Kanhaiya, the brother of Manjula Das, informs that on the day of the incident he was teaching in the neighbourhood when her sister called on him and narrated the whole threat they had received from Abdul Rehman. Manjula had informed him that Abdul Rahman and his goons had threatened them in stern words about killing their whole family.

Bajjan had made his hut on the Government’s land. The adjacent land plots belong to Bijli Thakur, Badri Thakur and Suresh Thakur. Bajjan had settled there after consulting all these men. However, Abdul Rehman and his brother-in-law were not happy with this. They have literally terrorised the whole region. A woman informs that only a few days back, these men abducted her son-in-law, however, fortunately, some people spotted him being kidnapped and thus, he was rescued.

Abdul Rehman set ablazed the hut of Bajjan Das

This incident raises a number of questions. Why no prominent Dalit leaders turned up on the scene to enquire or provoke the speedy trial in this case after the brutal killing? Does the media get into action only after knowing the identity of the killers? Won’t there be any reporting or hue and cry when killers are Muslims, even if those who are killed belong to poor Dalit family? Had the event been otherwise, for example, the poor Bajjan and his family being killed by community, other than Muslim can we then imagine the response it had provoked? One can contemplate on the possibilities of even the likes of Congress President Rahul Gandhi running to the scene of the crime.

City of Crimes

This is definitely not the first or the only incident of this kind from the region. In the year 2016, a person named Naresh Kewat was killed in the broad daylight and the killers are still absconding. In the Barsoi locality, slivers of an alcohol bottle were found at an Eidgah. It escalated in such an intense violence from the sides of Muslims that Hindus had to run away from there. The dominant Muslims can really lead to Hindu exodus in these regions when and if they want!

Four months ago, at Telta station near Katihar, one Pankaj Mishra was killed while he was asleep in his home. Mahant ji who lived near Aazamnagar was killed brutally two years ago. The killers chopped off his balls and then killed him. Police and investigative agencies failed to come up with any credible results in this case to bring the killers to the book. Similarly, a local resident, Nirmala Devi’s 15 years old daughter was kidnapped. Nirmala ji pin pointed four Muslims named Mohammad Aashif, Mohammad Rashid, Mohammad Javed and Manjari Khatoon since Aashif used to harass her daughter verbally many times. He had also threatened to rape her someday. An FIR was launched against these Muslims on November 16 , 2017, however, as the action on the part of the Police was slow, one day the girl ran away. Still these Muslims are roaming freely and they continue to threaten the family. Katihar is in no way similar to Kashmir Valley. However, it is even like it in some respects. It is for a simple reason that dominant Muslims in many regions here are tormenting Hindus and overpowering them.

While Kashmir Valley still has the advantages of being reported in a wider space and time, Katihar is not being reported at all. Hindus are suffering here and their execution by the hands of Muslim criminals is now a daily affair. Despite Katihar being an important city boasting as much as nine railway routes connectivity and strategically crucial because of its geographical proximity to the Bangladesh border, the city continues to slowly burn in the heat of Muslim fundamentalism.